O.N.E. (Our Nastiest Effort) - Bourbon Barrel Aged
De Struise Brouwers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*On tap Max’s split with David*

Look: Deep black body ruby hues.

Smell: Tart green apples/dried cherries, spices, licorice, deep toasted wheat bread, some funk.

Taste: Green apples, sweet malts, spice, on the tart side, some acidity, bourbon finish, some heat.

Feel: Medium-full body, par carbonation.

Overall: I’m glad I had the chance to drink this. Very nice ale, but not much bourbon flavor except the finish is charred oak. I would recommend this to any Belgian Strong Ale lovers, like myself.

*original review on RB 8-31-13*

 

 

 

75cl brown glass bottle served into stemware in hotel in Brussels. Reviewed live. Expectations are sky high given the brewery and style. 10% ABV per the label. Reviewed as a Belgian Dark Strong Ale because the label description identifies it clearly as such. Aged for 12 months in bourbon barrels. Acquired from a friend who lives in Ghent (and has his own contract brew made at De Proef!).

Served chilled and allowed to come to room temperature over the course of consumption.

Beer surges out upon opening, but luckily the flow is slow and can be remedied via sucking. Still, it's far from ideal.

No bubble show forms as it's poured.

HEAD: One finger wide. Khaki colour. Decent thickness. Okay creaminess. Leaves no lacing as it recedes. Retention is below average - not even one minute. It's a bit disappointing, and could be far creamier, fuller, and longer lasting.

BODY: Opaque dark solid black. Nontranslucent, nontransparent. No yeast particles or hop sediment is visible.

Appears overcarbonated. Overall, it's about what I expected, but it isn't unique or special considering the style. Nothing sets it apart, really.

AROMA: I have a broken nose, and unfortunately cannot find anything here. The aroma is extremely light - which is shocking considering it's a bourbon barrel aged Belgian strong dark ale. Oddly restrained, perhaps, but I'm reserving judgement.

TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, lightly creamy, full-bodied, thick, unrefreshing, and overcarbonated.

Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, or rough on the palate. Not syrupy, but definitely sticky. Does have some mild alcohol warmth which isn't too pleasant.

Overall presence on the palate is decent. This texture isn't a great complement to this taste.

TASTE: I expected more bourbon character; all I get is some faint booziness - no rich vanilla, toasty oak character, etc. Disappointing. But at least the alleged barrel notes are integrated into the base beer - as light as they are.

The base is also underwhelming. Belgian dark malts, a kiss of licorice/anise/fennel, some sassafras, some herbal hop notes, maybe molasses, faint caramel, a kiss of fig, and some hints of raisin and plum I suppose. Root. Sticky caramelized fruits. Prunes, I suppose. Lightly vinous. Herbal hop character. Almond. It's not a mess, but it's far from well-balanced, and does lack cohesion. Complex, sure, but perhaps at the expense of subtlety and nuance. I wouldn't call it intricate or well-layered, and it's definitely not gestalt.

The barrel isn't really present at all, and the base is a bit underwhelming, which is disappointing. That said, there are some nice elements here, but it's just not coming together like it should. I do like it, but I expected far better given the brewers.

Average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour.

I guess my biggest criticism is that it tastes too much like an American cola - the roots and herbs and that don't do much for it as a beer, and the almond even lends it a Dr. Pepper note, if you will.

O: It's a sipper, but sadly the quality isn't very high.

Those expecting a divinely brewed Belgian dark ale with incredible vanilla and oak bourbon character will be just as severely disappointed as I am - and not only because the brewery is amongst the best in Belgium. Great premise, subpar execution. I'm surprised this is as underwhelming as it is, and I do adore De Struise, but before more reviews come in and the hype kicks up, I have to say - this emperor has no clothes.

Low C+

 

 

Poured a basically dark brown body with good one finger head and lace patches. The aroma first strikes me as boozy and floral hops but then I get a chunk of both sweetness like licorice, candi sugar and some dark fruits like figs. The beer is easy to drink as its smooth with a boozy, woody body underneath holding it all together. To me, the beer is mostly sweet with a caramel or toffee edge with very minor hops and at times both dark fruits and a sour cherry edge come through.